The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-15
smart you are they raise your pay right

smart you are they raise your pay right
They didn't do this, however; but it was
something that he kept his place-more, in
deed, than their neighbors in the alley, who
Knew the boys thriftless, vagrant ways,
expected. These neighbors were generous
enough to give him all the credit he de-
served, and with these gosSipings they min
gled the suspicion that poor little Jill had
worked too hard and too well for her own
physical good.
=, Ii was fact, indeed, but fact for which
there seemed no remedy. Many people who
were interested in the hard working young
creature noticed, as the languorous spring
deepened, that she looked terribly thin and
delicate; that her face was losing it's round
ness and freshness, and gaining angles and
premature lines of anxiety and despon-
dency A heavy listlessness, impossible to
snake OFT, was slowly creeping over her,
making everything she did seem an effort,
and paralyzing her energies.
Inc winter had been hard one, with the
expenses incurred by her mothers death, and
burial added to those of their everyday life,
ana close, pinching economy had been neces-
sary to make "both ends meet and vet
ever and always, Jack was her first
Uhought. Her own hunger, bitter and mis-
cradle as 1t was to the hearty appetite of her
age, was yet endurable if he did not suffer,
and her pitifully slender proportions gave
abundant testimony to the fact that this
semi starvation was no infrequent thing
with her; then, too, fuel was high, and
warm clothing almost unattainable, and the
toughenlng method of habitllal exposure,
qua not seem to work very successfully in
her case. She grew impatient with herself
that she should not bear the harsh winds
without becoming a victim to cough that
racked her slight, painfully fragile figure so
terribly that it left her weak and exhausted
from It's violence
Sometimes, indeed, as she lay painting and
wakeful after one of these paroxysms, the
thought of death occurred to her. What if
she were to die and leave Jack alone in the
world to battle for himself! She put the
Thought resolutely from her. 1t seemed
simply impossible that God should allow
such selfish Sinking of her duties. She
had an idea of heaYen--thiS child who had
surely seen little of its reflection upon earth
1t was curious and original idea that she
had never dlvulged to any one, not even to
Jack
Her heaven was a great, beautiful field,
where the grass was ever fresh and green
where lovely flowers, such as she saw on street
corners and in shop windows, grew in lux
uriant profusion; and the air, always mild
and gentle, was sweet with the exquisite
odors of the fair blossoms and musical with
the melody of birds No miserable, stuffy
houses were there, but every one lived out
OF dOors-as we say-and, on a great
throne, built high and wide of choicest flow
ers, sat and ruled the great King. No suf-
fering, no hunger or thirst, no cold nor
heat there disturbed any one-all was per-
feet joy and happiness Often in her fitful
slumbers she would dream that she was al
ready there, and the wretched reality
of actual life would be tempered for a
time by the memory of hef vision.
The change in her appearance, gradual
though it was, finally became perceptible to
even Jacks obtuseness, and an incident
that happened one day caused him for
awhile perfect panic of fear He was de-
tanned at his work one afternoon somewhat
later than usual, and on entering the poor
room, which served in SO many capacities,
he was surprised to find it dark and de
serted. He wondered greatly, for gener-
ally at this hour Jill was flashing about
making her preparations for their simple
evening meal Solely perplexed, he closed
the door and moved slowly through the OBJ
scurity to light the small lamp, feeling de
sire for even its friendly company Sud
denly he paused abruptly, for his feet had
come into contact with a soft object lying
upon the floor. Stopping to discover its
identity, he became aware that it was the
figure of woman.